We live in the time of avocado toast. Not Trump, not smartphones, not Netflix—avocado toast. I'm telling you. With all the "good fat" an avocado contains, it's our favorite guiltless treat. We smother and smush it onto bread and call it a meal, because, somehow, it's both decadent and simple. Oh, and it looks damn good on Instagram—and because of that, it's become the mascot of basicness.
Does that stop us from eating it? No, never. I mean look at it:
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But there are times we physically can't eat avocado toast because we picked too young an avocado. We sit there, watching that alligator pear, praying that it'll soften, but it's stubborn. We love you so much, li'l avo, why won't you love us back?
Well, if you really can't wait it out, there are ways to hasten its maturity.
You can ripen a too-hard avocado by putting it in a paper bag at room temperature. If all goes according to plan, it'll ripen to perfect smushing texture in a matter of days.
And if you need an avocado to mature faster than that, add an apple, banana, or pear. Like avocado, these fruits emit ethylene gas, a compound that promotes ripening.
But if you really can't wait any longer—like, you need it right this instant (I mean, you haven't Instagrammed since yesterday)—there is indeed another measure you can take. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Illustration Credit: Chloe Bulpin / mbg creative
You can bake it in the oven. Yes, seriously. And no, it won't get hot and weird and mushy. Here's how:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
2. Wrap your little green friend in tin foil, and place it on a baking sheet.
3. Pop the sheet in the oven for 10 minutes.
2. Wrap your little green friend in tin foil, and place it on a baking sheet.
3. Pop the sheet in the oven for 10 minutes.
Et voilà! It's all grown up and ready for spreading atop any and every snack.
But how? What is this sorcery? Well, like other fruits, avocados emit ethylene gas, which is usually released slowly—causing the avocados to ripen over time—but when you wrap one in tinfoil and heat it up, you’ve trapped the gas and sped up the ripening process.
Here are some recipes to try out now that it's been softened to perfection:
- The Simplest, Richest Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- A Delicious Sushi Recipe You Can Totally Make At Home
- The Avocado Appetizer People Will Go Crazy For
But let's be real: You're just gonna make avocado toast, aren't you?
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